Samsung is reportedly looking to expand the availability of Tizen-based smartphones to more markets worldwide, as the Samzung Z1 has proved quite successful.
After several delays and change of plans, Samsung finally launched its first Tizen-based smartphone last year, introducing the Samsung Z1. The smartphone has a limited release, however, as it only made it to a few countries.
Nevertheless, the Tizen-powered Samsung Z1 was apparently quite a hit in the markets it did reach, and the company is now reportedly looking to launch Tizen smartphones in more markets worldwide.
More specifically, Business Korea reported (via SamMobile) that Samsung plans to unleash Tizen smartphones in various markets including the U.S., China, Korea, Russia, India, Malaysia, and European countries. The report doesn't offer a specific timeframe, but said that the release will occur sometime in the second half of this year.
The Samsung Z1 made its debut as a low-cost device without any top-notch specs on board, aiming to offer a decent performance on a budget. Although it's not easy for a device running a new operating system to make it in an increasingly competitive market, the Samsung Z1 raised plenty of interest among consumers.
As a reminder, the Tizen-powered Samsung Z1 sports a 4-inch display with a modest resolution of 800 x 480 pixels and packs a dual-core processor under the hood, clocked at 1.2GHz and paired with 768MB of RAM. Other specs include 4GB of internal storage capacity, microSD support for additional memory of up to 64GB, a 3.15-megapixel rear camera, and a VGA front shooter. The handset runs Tizen OS and has a 1,500 mAh battery to keep things up and running.
According to Business Korea, the new Tizen-powered models will include the Samsung Z2 with several notable improvements over its predecessor, such as 1GB of RAM, a 32-bit quad-core processor, a PLS TFT-LCD display with a resolution of 960 x 540, a 2,000 mAh battery, and a new Tizen 3.0 UI. The publication further notes that most of the devices expected in the second half of this year should be high-end offerings.
"Samsung Electronics is aiming to dominate the IoT platform market ahead of others by means of Tizen and its plan to release Tizen phones in more countries appears to be part of its efforts for Tizen ecosystem establishment, as with the incorporation of the operating system into various types of consumer electronics," an industry expert noted, as cited by Business Korea.
Samsung made no official announcement in this regards, however, which means that it all remains in the rumor state for now. We'll keep you up to date as soon as the company announces Tizen smartphones for other markets, but take everything with a grain of salt in the meantime.
